Weft-detecting mechanism



.Apri] 1 1924. 1,488,871

P. D. DOHERTY WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 26. 1922 I6 WWW? Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP D. DQHERTY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF nmssecnusn'r'rs.

WEFT-DETECTIN G MECEANISM.

Application filed December 26, 1922. Serial No.'608,834.

To all whomit may concern:

\ and be subject to all the adjustments of the Be it known that I, PHILIP D. DOHERTY, Hatter, thus rendering additional adjusta citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and 6 State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Weft-Detecting Mechanism, of

' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to weft detectin mechanism for weft replenishing looms ie the type shown in the Ryon Patents #972,-

722 issued Oct. 11,, 1910 and #1,352,536 issued Sept. 14, 1920.

,Detectors of this t pe comprise a slide which carries two we t engaging detectors, one fixed to the slide and being wedge shaped to contact with both the yarn and the bare bobbin, and the other pivoted to the slide and having a roughened surface to v engage the yarn but not the bare bobbin. When sufiicient yarn is present the pivoted slide is held against angular motion and the slide and detectors move forwardlywithout relative movement to withdraw a controller which is normally in operative position to initiate replenishment. As weft exhaustion approaches, the wedge shaped detector will en age the depleted bobbin and carry the slide forward, but the pivoted detector, no longer being held by yarn, swings on its pivot to permit the controller to remain in position to cause indication.

It not infrequently happens that one wall of the detector receiving slot of a slightly misplaced shuttle will engage the wedge shaped detector just prior to engagement of the yarn by the pivoted detector, so that the latter is unrestrained and swings to permit the controller to remain in indicating position. This results in the expulsion from the running shuttle of a bobbin which may carry considerable yarn.

It is the principal object of the present invention to prevent premature transfer when a shuttle is misplaced by locking the pivoted detector'a'gainst angular motion, the result of which is to prevent false indication of the weft replenishing mechanism.

Another ob ect of the invention is to provide one member of a two contact weft de- 50 tector with shuttle engaging means to lock the other member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lock for the detector which shall be mounted to move with the detector slide ments of the lock unnecessary.

. With these and other objects in view my invention relates to arrangements and comblnations of parts hereinafter described and more (part cularly pointed out in the appende claims.

A preferred form of the invention is' Fi 2 is a side elevation of the detector,

certain parts being omitted,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken along 11ne 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken along l1ne 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing the detector and a misplaced shuttle in operative position.

In the drawings, stand 10 is carried by the loomside (not shown) and is provided with a horn 11 slotted as at 12 to receive one end of a lever 13 which is pivoted at 14 to a vertically reciprocating rod 15. To the other end of. lever13 is pivoted a connector 16 which extends to the weft replenishing mechanism (not shown).

Bearings 17 and 18 project forwardly from the stand and support a shaft 19 to one end of which is secured an upstanding lever 20 pivotally connected to a controller pin 21, the rear end of said pin entering horn 11 and projecting normally across slot 12. A second arm 22 is adjustably secured to shaft 19 as at 23 and is urged to move rearwardly by means of spring 2e and collar 25 on Shaft 19.

Screw 26 carried by stand 10 supports a bed 27 adjustable longitudinally of the shuttle by means of said screw. A slide 28 movable in the bed is provided with a clip 29 through which passes the reduced shank .of a screw 30. Compression spring 32 sur-v 34 is pivoted to the slide by means of eccentric screw 35 and has a roughened weft engaging surface 36 and offset arm 37. The head 35 and the thread 35 are concentric and received by the top and bottom respectively of slide 28. The bearing portion 35 on which the swinging detector 34 is pivoted is eccentric with respect to the threaded end 35 and afi'ords means to adjust said dc tector toward or from the shuttle with respect to the slide 28. Nut 35 holds the screw in adjusted position.

The forward side of the arm 37 is engaged by an actuating rod 38 which is engaged by arm 22 and tends constantly to swing detector 34 away from detector 33. A resetting rod 39 is hook shaped as at 40 to engage the rear of arm 37 and carries at the forward-end thereof screw 41 which engages bed 27 as the slide moves rearwardly and thus causes the pivoted detector to move toward detector 33. Rod 38 is guided by block 42 carried by the slide and boss 43 formed on the resetting rod 39,

All the matter thus far described is of the usual construction and in addition to the patents above mentioned, reference may be had to Patent #989,429 to Ryon, issued A ril 11, 1911.

Iy improvements include a slide 50 having a lateral face 52 substantially continuous with the adjoining inclined face of detector 33. A pin 53 carried by the slide 50 extends through and is guided by slot 54. formed in detector 33. A rod 55 is fixed to and extends forwardly from the slide 50 and is surrounded by a compression spring 56 one end of which engages the slide 50 and the other end of which enters a pocket in detector 33. The rod 55 is so placed that it can engage the hook 40, but spring 56 normally holds the rod 55 out of the path of the hook 40.

In operation, the slide 50 is normally held rearwardly and so long as the shuttle is properly boxed, the slide remains idle. However, when a misplaced shuttle assumes a position similar to that shown in Fig. 5 the wall of the shuttle slot strikes slide 50 and moves it forward to carry rod 55 into engagement with hook 40. This forces arm 37 against rod. 38 and as the slide 28 moves forward with the shuttle, controller pin 21 is moved from under lever 13 to prevent false indication. As pin 55 is in substantial alignment with red 38, the shuttle acts on arm 22 in a straight line.

Should the shuttle engage the detector 33 at-any point to the rear of slide 50, the forward motion after engagement will be sufiicient to carry controller pin 21 out of the ath of lever 13 even though detector 34 sliould swing until arm 37 is arrested by the base of detector .33.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that I have provided a very simple means to lock a wel't detector when engaged by a misplaced shuttle, the lock being directly engaged by the shuttle and moved thereby to positively prevent premature indication. Also, as the lock moves with the detector it does not require separate adjustment. It is also found that as the shuttle strikes the inclined surface 52 a cam action results which forces slide 50 against detector 33, requiring the latter to take the strain.

It will also be evident that other: changes and modifications can be made in my invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims, and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is- 1. In a weft detector for weft replenishing looms, a slide, a swinging detector pivoted thereto, a second detector fixed to said slide, and a lock device slidable on said second detector and having a part to be engaged by a misplaced shuttle and having also a part to restrain swinging motion of said swinging detector when engaged by a misplaced shuttle.

2. In a weft detecting mechanism for weft replenishing looms, a slide movable under influence 0 a shuttle, a swinging detector pivoted thereto, a second detector fixed to the slide, a lock member slidable with respect to said slide and movable therewith, and means connected to said lock member and movable by a misplaced shuttle to move said lock into position to restrain pivotal motion of said swinging detector.

3. In a weft detector for weft replenishing looms, a slide movable under influence of a shuttle, means to adjust said slide laterally and longitudinally, a swinging detector pivoted to said slide, a second detector fixed to said slide, a lock member movable with respect to said slide toengage the swinging detector, and means enga eable by a misplaced shuttle to move sai lock against the swinging detector to hold the latter against angular motion, said lock and means movable with the slide as the latter is adjusted as to position.

4. In a weft detector for weft replenishing looms, a slide movable under influence of a shuttle, a detector pivoted to said slide and having an arm movable toward the shuttle as the detector swings about its pivot, a second detector fixed to said slide, and a movable lock member slidable with respect to the slide and moving upon en agement vwith a misplaced shuttle toward said arm to restrain movement thereof to arrest swinging of the pivoted detector.

5. In a weft detector for a loom having weftreplenishing mechanism, a slide movable under influence of a shuttle, a swinging detector pivoted thereto, an actuator to operate the replenishing mechanism, a controller for said actuator, connections between the swinging detector and controller to cause the latter to operate the actuator when said swinging detector swings, a second detector carried by said slide and having an inclined surface to be engaged by a misplaced shuttle, a part of said surface being fixed with respect to the slide and a part of said surface being movable with respect to the slide, and locklng connections between the movable surface and the swinging detector.

6. In a weft detector for weft replenish ing looms, a slide movable under influence of a shuttle, a swinging detector pivoted thereto, means to adjust said detector toward and from the shuttle with respect to the slide, a second detector fixed to said slide, and a lock movable with respect to said slide and second detector and engageable by a misplaced shuttle to move to restrain angular motion of said swinging detector in any of its adjusted positions.

7. In a weft detecting mechanism, a detector, a movable support on which said detector is movably mounted, a second detector fixed to said support, and means mountedon said support and positioned for direct engagement by a misplaced shuttle, said means being effective to prevent indication of weft exhaustion when thus engaged.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

PHILIP lD. DOHERTY. 

